This invention relates to a surface-mounted connector socket, more particularly, to a surface-mounted connector socket which is adapted to prevent ingress of solder and flux into the socket when it is mounted to a printed-circuit board by soldering.
An prior art example of the surface-mounted connector socket will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A-3B.
FIG. 1A is an expansion plan view of a shield cover formed of a metallic sheet covering a housing in the prior art example of the surface-mounted connector socket. FIG. 1B is a front view illustrating the shield cover 8 fitted over the housing 6 of the surface-mounted connector socket. FIG. 2A is a rear view illustrating the surface-mounted connector socket. FIG. 2B is a side view illustrating the right hand side of the surface-mounted connector socket. FIG. 2C is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken across the connector pin of the surface-mounted connector socket. FIG. 3A is a bottom plan view illustrating the surface-mounted connector socket. FIG. 3B is a plan view illustrating the area of the printed-circuit board 7 in hatching where the connector socket is mounted.
The shield cover 8 is formed from a blank metal sheet stamped or cut out as shown in the expansion plan view of FIG. 1A by folding the blank sheet along the dotted lines into a frame-like configuration as shown in FIGS. 1B and 2B, and comprises a top wall 1, a left hand side wall 31, a right hand side wall 32, and a bottom wall 2 composed of a left hand bottom wall portion 21 and a right hand bottom wall portion 22. The left hand bottom wall portion 21 and right hand bottom wall portion 22 are in butting relation with each other at their opposing end edges in the same plane. The left end portion 11 and the right end portion 12 of the top wall 1 are inclined to join the side walls 31 and 32, respectively. The left hand side wall 31 and the right hand side wall 32 have a left leg 311 and a right leg 321, respectively integrally formed therewith which are adapted to be inserted into corresponding through holes of the printed-circuit board 7 (shown in phantom lines in FIG. 1B) to which the shield cover 8 is to be mounted and to be soldered to a ground. The left hand side wall 31 and the right hand side wall 32 are formed adjacent their rear end edges with a left hand lanced and inturned tab 312 and a right hand lanced and inturned tab 322, respectively.
The shield cover 8 is folded and formed in a frame-like configuration as noted above, and a housing 6 of the surface-mounted connector socket is fitted into the shield cover. The housing 6 is formed of synthetic resin and has forced longitudinally thereinto a connector pin 71 comprising a contact portion 71a, an intermediate portion 71b and a connecting portion 71c as shown in FIG. 2C. A number of the connector pins 71 are provided in a horizontal transversely oriented array as seen in FIG. 2A. The housing 6 is mounted to the printed-circuit board 7 by the left hand bottom wall portion 21 and right hand bottom wall portion 22 of the shield cover 8 being securely bonded by soldering to the surface of the printed-circuit board 7, so that the interior of the housing 6 is shielded from the external electromagnetic field.
When the shield cover 8 is folded and formed in a peripheral frame-like configuration, the opposing longitudinally extending end edges of the left hand bottom wall portion 21 and right hand bottom wall portion 22 are in butting relation with each other at the butt region 24 as shown in FIG. 2A. Bonding and securing of the shield cover 8 to the surface of the printed-circuit board 7 is accomplished by soldering the left and right legs 311, 321 and the left and right engaging flaps 211, 221 to the surface of the printed-circuit board 7 with those legs and flaps inserted into the through-holes 741, 742 and 761, 762, respectively formed through the printed-circuit board 7 shown in FIG. 3B.
In the surface-mounted connector socket as described above, since the legs 311, 321 and flaps 211, 221 were formed by striking them from the bottom wall 2 of the shield cover 8 as shown in FIG. 3A, openings 311a, 321a, 211a and 221a were cut out in the bottom wall 2 adjoining the printed-circuit board 7. Moreover, since the shield cover 8 was formed by a single metal sheet wrapped around the housing 6 with the opposite end edges butted together on the bottom side of the housing, a gap was formed in the butt region 24 between the left and right hand bottom wall portions 21 and 22 of the shield cover 8 contacting the surface of the printed-circuit board 7. Consequently, when soldering the left and right legs and flaps to the board, solder and flux could intrude into the socket, resulting in degrading the efficiency of the soldering operation and the manufacturing process yields.